Amid NATO Wargames, NATO Chief Complains About Russian Wargames

Says Russia's 'Snap' Exercises a Threat to Stability

With NATO forces currently carrying out a major series of wargames in the Baltic member states along Russia’s border, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg today complained Russia is carrying out to many wargames, and not telling NATO enough about them.

“It is important that we keep the channels for military communication open to have as much transparency as possible to avoid misunderstandings,” Stoltenberg insisted.

While conceding Russia has a right to conduct military exercises “within their international obligations,” NATO’s secretary general went on to warn that Russia was contributing to instability in the region by holding them.

NATO cut back its diplomatic ties with the Russian Federation in early 2014 to protest the accession of the Crimean Peninsula to the federation after it seceded from Ukraine. Russia, it seems have also cut back its own communications with NATO about its exercises.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.